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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / inspiration / books / Hello, February! Here are five things to share with you.

Hello, February! Here are five things to share with you.

February 1, 2021 · 5 Comments
Filed Under: books, simple living

What did you do over the weekend? We spent a lot of time at home (hey, what’s new?). One morning we woke to a fresh layer of snow, it was quite the delight. The kids looooove when it snows, and any time the wind blew snow off the roof they all shrieked, “it’s a snow storm!”. Saturday night, after a long day working on a project, my friend Allie came over and we walked my neighborhood. With hot tea in hand, we walked over three miles. It felt so good to breathe in the cold winter air and talk. Have you noticed winter air has a specific scent? I would describe it as smokey & spicy. In addition to welcoming a new month, here are five things I wanted to share with you…

WRITING //

I spent a good portion of Saturday working on a large writing project. After a shower and a cup of coffee, I locked myself in our bedroom (which has two huge monstera plants) and I wrote and wrote and wrote on blank white paper. My time alone was so fruitful (hooray! hooray!). I like to listen to instrumental music while I write, and every couple of hours of work I put my pen down and picked up a book to read.

READING //

This leads to my next share. I finished Becoming Elisabeth Elliot, and it was a fantastic biography. Have you read it? I’ve now finished reading three books this year (here is my list of what I hope to read in 2021). Next up: The Dutch House. I’m on chapter three, and it’s proving excellent so far.

MEALS //

Let’s talk about serving dinner. How is your meal planning coming along? Are you consistent? Do you enjoy this weekly task, or do you dread it? Here is my plan for the week, including a couple of snacks I want to be intentional about serving the kiddos.

dinner:

zuppa toscana (similar; I substitute cauliflower for potato) & salad

frittata (with sausage, onion, kale) & apple/pear crisp

IP crispy carnitas with cheese quesadillas, bell peppers, and toppings & salad

cozy autumn wild rice soup & grain-free biscuits

snacks:

no bake energy bites

stovetop popcorn

apples & peanut butter

hunters sausage, cheese, dried fruit, cashews

Here is a cookbook I frequently cook from (lots of Instant Pot recipes). Do you have this one? It’s great for our family because it’s low sugar and low carb, and the IP recipes are easy to prepare. Preparing healthy meals that don’t take a lot of time, nor make a huge mess, are hard to come by! One bummer, in regards to cooking, is a meal I made last week (from a different cookbook) was a total flop (IMO). I was so frustrated, ha!

A PRAYER //

Inhale. Today, we begin a brand new month. (Hello, February!) Exhale. Today, as we continue to serve our families, may we work with a joyful spirit, offering our very best unto the Lord. May we feel inspired with our lives and see them as beautiful, encouraged to seek creativity, and eager to learn & grow alongside one another. Amen.

HOMESCHOOL //

Here’s a snapshot of me homeschooling Maxwell (second grade) and Natalie (first grade). I can’t sing enough praises for how much our family enjoys this slower lifestyle. Years ago, while we were still living in Los Angeles, I considered homeschooling because I couldn’t fathom sending my young son to a nearby public school. The city felt so big, and he so small. Shortly after we moved to Michigan our third child was born, another daughter. The thought of getting three children (ages three and under) out of the house for Preschool, then bringing two back home only to leave again after a couple of hours, felt dreadful. When are children to be children when they have such busy schedules?

Now that we have four children I can’t imagine not homeschooling them, though for different reasons. I absolutely enjoy being around them all day. I love hearing them play together, learn together, teach one another. It is such a natural lifestyle for us. Alas, we love homeschooling.

What do you think?

xx, Maggie

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5 Comments
Filed Under: books, simple living

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Comments

  1. Barbara Storey says

    February 2, 2021 at 9:14 am

    Thank you for a most homey writing today Maggie! I felt like I was right there in your home. Your children (and hubby), are very fortunate to have you, managing your home and filling it with love!
    Grambarb

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      February 3, 2021 at 8:30 am

      Grambarb,
      Thank you for your encouraging words. We mothers need them, and often. You do a great job at this offering. xx

      Reply
    • hubbs says

      February 4, 2021 at 1:55 pm

      That’s the real truth, Grambarb. Love you.

      Reply
  2. Katie says

    February 2, 2021 at 8:32 pm

    Happy February, Maggie! I’m glad to see you’re enjoying The Dutch House! I read it a few years ago but want to try the audio version with Tom Hanks. Your writing time on Saturday sounds absolutely heavenly – I can’t wait to read what you’ve been working on.

    I love the picture of your kiddos at the table — Maxwell and Natalie look so focused! I’m also homeschooling, but we are still working on the “focused” part, ha!

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      February 3, 2021 at 8:31 am

      EVERYONE has been telling me about Tom Hank’s voice, lol. And regarding the “focused homeschooling”, it varies from day to day, lemme just say that… ;) xx

      Reply

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in metro-Detroit. She has been writing online since 2008.
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JOY in motherhood & homemaking 🧺🌿💓✨

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We came home and I made “the best dinner ever”. Max specifically announced, “it’s so great you’re launching new meals to the world”. LOL— kids! 🤣👏🏻💓
How about a little Wednesday night introduction? 😘Social media sure has changed over the years and we don’t always SEE who we’re following or remember WHY we’re following certain accounts. 

So, hello! As you can gather, my name is Maggie ;) 

I started writing online (almost 13 years ago) to share the handmade products I was sewing. My shop was called Gussy Sews. ✂️👛I love the community that has grown from sewing & sharing online.

Let’s FFW to today: Zack and I live in Michigan and have four young children (2 boys & 2 girls). I slowly left the handmade industry and walked right into homemaking, homeschooling, and encouraging women through writing. 💕📝

Motherhood has been very hard on me. (And not just because of how close in age our four children are.) It’s been hard for me because I fought for years to accept that *it’s supposed to be hard*. 

I mean, how do you effectively teach another person to know and love the Lord? Bc that’s how I think of motherhood: a calling to nurture others by studying the One who nurtures me. So I gotta make the first move: study the Bible and seek Him first. As my friend Autumn reminded me, vulnerability births transformation. 

(I’ve had to be really vulnerable!)

So, yes motherhood has fully transformed me. But even more so, Christ has fully transformed me. My list of “all that He’s done for me” is off to a beautifully long start.

Something else I want you to know about me: I stalled for years before acknowledging I have anxiety and depression. It’s hard to talk about this because of course this isn’t forever “my hardship”, but rather because acknowledging this means to heal I have to work through some really difficult things. ✨

But my friend Jesus walks alongside me. He’s already done a mighty work in my heart, including helping me process my anger in healthier ways. I’ve also adopted a heart for sisterhood, mothering, and Titus 2 mentorship.

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We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens in the morning (HGTV), playtime before lessons, and not enough quiet time after lunch. This made for a really, ummm, unenjoyable learning experience. 

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Just a few cheery memories from my week! How about you?
Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activiti Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activities. I finished my last book moments before 2020 ended, which brought my started list to a close. Small joys add up to big joys ;)

What are you reading this year? Currently?

How many books are you planning to read? What’s your goal?

I’ll share what’s on my list for 2021 soon as I received some nice titles at Christmas. 📖✨🤍
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